Investigation of in-situ electrode formation with respect to potential applications in intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells

The novel SEA (Single Element Arrangement) concept for SOFC consists of a single material to complete the whole galvanic cell. Essential of the SEA concept is the in-situ electrode formation. Such kind of material becomes mixed ionic and electronic conducting in the surface region, while still being predominantly ionically conducting inside under the working conditions. Electronic short circuit will be blocked by the region where ionic conduction is dominant, allowing the generation of electromotive force. In this work, several materials that were considered to be possible candidates for SEA applications were investigated, with the focus on modification of the electronic conductivity by appropriate doping in the well-known electrolyte materials, including samarium doped ceria (SDC), yttria doped barium cerate and LSGM.